03-10-2017, 03:19 PM
19-10-2017, 11:46 AM
Underwater (or tidal) turbines are a fairly simple concept when it comes to state-of-the-art energy technology. Basically they are windmills installed in the bottom of the ocean or in the bed of a river. The underwater current produced by the tides rotates leaves arranged like an airplane propeller. These turbines are connected to a gearbox, which is connected to an electric generator. This produces electricity that is transported by cable to the coast. Once it is connected to a power grid, electricity can be distributed.
Although underwater turbines are essentially the same as windmills, they do have some advantages over their cousins above ground. Windmills require land, especially wind farms, dock assemblies or hundreds of windmills. Another advantage of underwater energy capture comes from the high water density. Water is denser than air, which means that the same amount of energy can be produced by an underwater turbine as a windmill, but at lower speeds and in a smaller area. In addition, although the amount of wind that passes over a given area of land may be unpredictable, the kinetic energy of the tidal areas is reliable. The ebb and flow is so predictable that a particular region of tides can be expressed in the amount of kilowatt hours of electricity that can be produced per turbine.